Toshizou Hijikata

Hijikata is depicted in keeping with his historical reputation as a determined warrior and military leader. His connection with the Shinsengumi and the final fighting around Hakodate gives him a strong association with the city's late-Edo history.

The film uses brief historical material rather than developing Hijikata as a contemporary participant in the mystery. His discipline and martial reputation are conveyed primarily through his role as a Shinsengumi vice-commander and through the importance later generations attach to weapons associated with him.

Hijikata is an accomplished swordsman associated with Tennen Rishin-ryu, the martial tradition practiced by several leading Shinsengumi figures. His historical career also establishes him as an experienced battlefield commander.

As vice-commander, he combines swordsmanship with military leadership. His later career during the Boshin War takes him through increasingly conventional military engagements as former shogunate forces retreat north.

Within The Million-dollar Pentagram, the focus is not on supernatural or exaggerated abilities. Hijikata's importance comes from his genuine martial reputation and the historical swords connected with him.

Hijikata appears through the historical background surrounding Hakodate and the swords targeted by Kaitou Kid. Kid's unusual decision to steal swords rather than gemstones immediately makes the blades central to Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori's investigation.

The swords are connected with a larger collection assembled around the end of World War II and with the hidden treasure of the Onoe family. Understanding their arrangement and history becomes necessary to deciphering the clues.

The investigation reveals that the swords are effectively keys to locating the Onoe treasure. Their guards contain pentagram-shaped clues that must be aligned with Hakodate's geography, tying Hijikata's historical legacy directly into the modern treasure hunt.

Shotoku Machida appears in the film's historical material connected with Hijikata and the swords associated with his time in Hakodate.

Kaitou Kid targets swords associated with Hijikata, an unusual departure from his normal focus on valuable jewels.

Conan Edogawa and Heiji Hattori investigate why Kaitou Kid wants the swords and how they connect to the Onoe family's hidden treasure.